Issue No.589
Sports
Previous issue
Site map
|
|
6 - 12 June 2002 Issue No.589 Sports |
Current issue Previous issue Site map | |
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Recommend this page | ||
Bench warmer no more
THOUGH he failed to score in the final game, and was noticeably ineffective down the home stretch, Ismaili's star striker Abdel-Hamid Bassiouni was one of the happiest players on the club once the league championship was theirs.
Bassiouni, above, was benched most of the time by former club Zamalek, playing in only seven matches last season. But he became a regular in Ismaili when he moved to the Canal club this season, scoring 12 times in the course of their remarkable run.
"When we won the league with Zamalek, I did not enjoy myself as I am now," Bassiouni told the Weekly by phone. "It's a different feeling when you know that you were part of a success story."
Ismaili was the turning point in Bassiouni's life. "Although I had many offers after leaving Zamalek, I decided to join a club as big as Ismaili." He thanked Ismaili coach Mohsen Saleh for bringing him over and giving him back his self-confidence. "The players vowed to win the title for this great club and I am happy that I was able to be part of it," he said.
Bassiouni felt secure in Ismailia with what he called a "complete technical staff. There is no arrogance and no celebrities. We are all one."
He said that after losing out on the cup and, consequently, a chance at the African Cup Winners Cup, "we did not have any other choice but to win the league title".
"The match [against Misri] was very difficult because they had nothing to lose and were relaxed. But we were very tense especially because of the fans who filled the stands by 10 in the morning. Can you imagine it took only one hour -- from nine to 10 -- to fill the entire stadium?"
|
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||
| ARCHIVES Letter from the Editor Editorial Board Subscription Advertise! |
WEEKLY ONLINE: www.ahram.org.eg/weekly Updated every Saturday at 11.00 GMT, 2pm local time weeklyweb@ahram.org.eg |
 Al-Ahram Organisation |
